Lateral guide device for heald frames in weaving looms, with improved locking and unlocking system

Abstract: Lateral guide device for heald frames in weaving looms, comprising a first section (3, 4, 5) permanently fixed to the loom structure (T) and a second section (11, 12) carrying the guide cheeks (2) for the heald frames (1), said second section being apt to slide in respect of the first section in a direction towards and away from the heald frame (1) and to be fixed to said first section by means of a fast locking jaw clamp (5), apt to be locked by way of a tie rod (8) operated by a cam lever (7). The device also comprises means (6, 14) to keep unvaried the angular positioning of the second section during its sliding movements, as well as adjustable stop means (15) to limit the movement of said second section in the direction towards the heald frames (1).

Description: The present invention concerns a lateral guide device for heald frames of weaving looms, provided with a prompt locking and unlocking system allowing a fast replacement or maintenance of the heald frames. As known, the heald frames of looms are supported and guided laterally by guide devices in the form of sliding cheeks, fixed to the loom structure, which keep unaltered the positioning of the frame in the required vertical plane, while allowing its quick reciprocating movement in said plane. Each time that - for weaving purposes - the heald frames have to be replaced, or their number or positioning has to be varied, it is obviously necessary to remove the aforementioned guide devices, so as to release the frames from the sliding cheeks clamping their sides. In the presently known guide devices for heald frames said operation is quite long, as it requires the use of special tools to loosen the screw fixing means which lock said devices in the wanted position. It takes just as long to reset said devices to their prior position; resetting must in fact be carried out at the end of the operations on the frames since, before tightening the respective fixing means, it is necessary to make sure that the slack between the cheeks of the guide device and the sides of the heald frames is carefully maintained. A lateral guide device of the heald frames of the known above cited type is for example the one disclosed in EP-524456. There is hence a highly felt requirement to dispose of guide devices for heald frames, apt to be removed and reset in a prompt and precise manner, while duly maintaining the prearranged slack between the cheeks of the guide device and the sides of the heald frames, with no need for any particular adjustment, so as to allow speeding up the operation of maintenance of the heald frames at the start of each weaving operation. The present invention is apt to fully satisfy said requirement, by providing a lateral guide device for heald frames - of the type comprising at least one pair of guide cheeks, fixedly connected to a support which can in turn be fixed to the loom structure, said support consisting of a first section permanently fixed to the loom and of a second section, carrying said guide cheeks, apt to slide in respect of the first section in a direction towards and away from the heald frame wherein said second section can be fixed to said first section by means of a fast locking clamp, and said fast locking clamp is fixedly connected to one of said section of the device and is apt to grip onto an anchor element fixedly connected to the other section of the device. Further characteristics and advantages of the device according to the invention will anyhow be more evident from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example and illustrated on the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a lateral view, partly sectioned, of the guide device for heald frames according to the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a front view, partly sectioned, of the same device in the direction of arrow F in fig. 1, wherein - for the sake of clearness - the loom part to which said device is fixed has been removed. As briefly explained in the introductory part, the guide device for heald frames of the present invention is positioned between an element of the loom structure T and the heald frames 1, its purpose being to guide the latter in their reciprocating movement on a vertical plane, by means of a pair of cheeks 2 for each frame 1, as clearly shown in fig. 1. According to the present invention, to speed up the locking and unlocking of said device, and thus the operations on the heald frames guided thereby, the device itself comprises a first section, permanently fixed to the loom structure T, and a second section - slidable in respect of the first along suitable guide elements - which supports the cheeks 2 and can be fixed by fast locking means to the first section so as to lock it in the working position. In the embodiment shown on the accompanying drawings, said first section of the guide device comprises a fork-shaped support 3 steadily fixed in 4, by screw means (not shown), to the loom structure T. In one piece with the support 3 there are formed, at the top, a jaw clamp 5 having a cylindrical seat, and at the bottom, a centering hole 6. The clamp 5 can be closed up with a fast locking device, preferably consisting of a lever 7 which tensions a tie rod 8 by rotation of an eccentric pawl 9 fixed to the lever 7 and housed into the eyelet of the tie rod 8. The lever 7 is apt to oscillate between an opening position 7a (shown by dashes in fig. 2) and a closing position 7b, in which the eccentric pawl 9 is positioned as shown in fig. 2 and the end stem portion of the lever 7 abuts against a seat of the clamp 5 provided for the purpose. The length of the tie rod 8 can be adjusted at will by means of the self-locking nut 10, so as to guarantee the desired clamping force. The second section of the guide device according to the present invention consists of a support plate 11 to which there are fixed, on one side, one or more pairs of sliding cheeks 2 (two pairs in the illustrated embodiment) and, on the other side, a pin 12 apt to be housed and gripped into the cylindrical seat of the clamp 5. On the same side of the pin 12 there are also fixed to the plate 11 a handgrip 13, and a pin 14 housed with a slight slack into the centering hole 6 of the first section of the device. On the free end of the pin 12 there is finally screwed - into a threaded hole provided for the purpose on the axis of said pin - a self-locking ring nut 15, the outer diameter of which is wider than that of the cylindrical seat of the clamp 5. In operation, when wishing to remove the heald frames 1, the guide device is promptly unlocked by shifting the lever 7 from position 7b to position 7a, thereby releasing the pin 12 which can freely slide into the clamp 5 thanks to elastic opening of the latter. The pin 12 - and, with it, the whole second section of the device - can thus be moved in the direction of arrow S (fig. 1) by acting on the handgrip 13, hence releasing the heald frames 1 from the cheeks 2 and allowing the operator to freely work on said frames. During this step, the guide device according to the invention keeps a perfectly correct angular positioning, thanks to the presence of the pin 14 which slides into the hole 6, preventing any undesirable rotation of the second section in respect of the first section of the device. After having carried out the required operations on the heald frames 1, the second section of the guide device is moved back to its original position in a direction opposite to that of arrow S, until the ring nut 15 abuts against the clamp 5, finding exactly - with no need for any adjustment - the position of the plate 11 which allows to obtain the wanted slack G (fig. 1) between the cheeks 2 and the heald frames 1. The axial position of the ring nut 15 can be varied at will by screwing or unscrewing the same on the pin 12, so as to allow adjusting the slack G at intervals, for instance when the cheeks have undergone wear or need to be replaced. In the previous description, reference has been made to a manual control of the lever 7 and of the handgrip 13, but it is evident that both these operations could be performed by mechanic and automatic means, if this should be deemed desirable to improve the working of the loom. From the previous description it will at once be evident how the present invention has fully reached its object. It in fact provides for a very simple and reliable guide device for heald frames, which can be locked in a working position and released therefrom with a very simple operation and without requiring any special tool, while keeping unvaried its angular positioning so as to avoid any adjustment - and consequent waste of time - when the device has to be locked again in position on the sides of the heald frames. The guide device for heald frames according to the present invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment thereof, but it is evident that its protection can be extended to any other possible embodiments - wherein, for example, the type of fast locking clamp, or the sliding system of one section in respect of the other, may have been varied - provided that they fall within the scope of the following claims.

Claims: Lateral guide device for heald frames in weaving looms, of the type comprising at least one pair of guide cheeks (2) fixedly connected to a support which can in turn be fixed to the loom structure (T), said support consisting of a first section (3, 4, 5) permanently fixed to the loom and of a second section (11, 12), carrying said guide cheeks (2), apt to slide in respect of the first section in a direction towards and away form the heald frame (1), characterized in that said second section can be fixed to said first section by means of a fast locking clamp, and in that said fast locking clamps is fixedly connected to one of said section of the device and is apt to grip onto an anchor element (12) fixedly connected to the other section of the device. Lateral guide device as in claim 1), comprising also control means (6, 14) to keep unvaried the reciprocal angular positioning of said first and second sections during sliding of the second section in respect of the first section. Lateral guide device as in claim 1, wherein said fast locking clamp is a jaw clamp (5) gripping onto said anchor element (12) by way of a tie rod (8) operated by a cam lever (7). Lateral guide device as in claim 3), wherein said jaw clamp (5) has a cylindrical seat apt to house with slack, in an open position, said anchor element (12) which is in the form of a cylindrical pin. Lateral guide device as in claim 4), wherein said jaw clamp (5) and said anchor element (12) form a sliding fit between said first and second sections of the device when the clamp (5) is in an open position. Lateral guide device as in claim 1), wherein adjustable stop means are moreover provided to limit the movement of said second section in the direction towards the heald frames (1). Lateral guide device as in claims 5) and 6), wherein said adjustable stop means consist of a self-locking ring nut (15), screwed onto the free end of said cylindrical pin (12) and having a wider diameter than that of the seat of said jaw clamp (5). Lateral guide device as in claims 2) and 5), wherein said control means (6, 14) form a second sliding fit between said first and second sections, to prevent any possible reciprocal rotation between the same when the jaw clamp (5) is in an open position.

Inventors: TASCA EGIDIO, TASCA, EGIDIO
Applicants: SOMET SOC MEC TESSILE, SOMET SOCIETA' MECCANICA TESSILE S.P.A.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: D03C9
IPC codes: D03C9, D03C1